All-Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness
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All-Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness Pre-briefing for APPG on Deafness visit – 1 February 2006
Introduction Julie Wilkins is the Head of Service at the Audiology Department. She will show members round and share her experience of modernisation and her ideas about the challenges ahead. Background Information Audiology services are provided at Charing Cross Hospital, part of Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, for Hammersmith and Fulham PCT. Both adults and children come to Charing Cross for audiology services. On average, 200 adults are fitted with hearing aids every month. Modernisation Charing Cross was one of the first 50 sites to join the MHAS Programme, and started fitting digital hearing aids in Spring 2003. It also benefited from funding a modernisation initiative in Ear, Nose and Throat services, which paid for the refurbishment of the department. These initiatives have transformed the service patients receive. Charing Cross is an example of where modernisation has been a huge success – although of course challenges remain. Waiting times Charing Cross did not have long waiting times before modernisation, unlike many others around the country. Anecdotally, waiting times still appear to be shorter than in most other departments around the country. The department receives very few complaints about waiting times. Currently, an adult would wait around six months from being referred by their GP to getting a hearing aid for the first time. For people who already have hearing aids, the wait is around 12 months for a reassessment. For children, the maximum wait is around two months, with priority cases being seen within two weeks. Julie remains keen to reduce waiting times further. Schedule for Visit
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